James Murphy on soundtracking Daniel Craig and the future of Despacio

When progressive New York disco punks LCD Soundsystem hung up
their synthesisers in 2011, frontman James Murphy said it was
because the band was "stopping him from doing other things I want
to do." Those things, as it turned out, included spells behind the
mixing desk for Pulp and Arcade Fire - whose new album, possibly
something to do with this peculiar Reflektors campaign, is due out
on 29 October - and crafting the music for Mike Nichols'
much-anticipated New York revival of Pinter's Betrayal,
starring Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz and Rafe Spall.
He's also found time to build an enormous soundystem for the Manchester
International Festival, launch a coffee-shop-cum-design-studio
called House of Good and keep up an international DJ
schedule. GQ caught up with Murphy on the phone from New
York, where he told us about scaring an environmental health team,
why he's not going to make a piano album and how Mike Nichols
taught him the best way to respond to emails.

GQ: How did you get involved with the Betrayal
revival?
James Murphy: It was just a weird connection of happenstance. I
did the soundtrack for Greenberg, the Noah Baumbach film, and that was produced by
Scott Rudin. Out of that, I got to know Scott a bit. So when I was
making Shut Up and Play the Hits, I went to
him to ask advice. We communicated a few times for that, and then
this play came up, he just called me and asked if I wanted to meet
Mike Nichols and potentially do the music for a play, which I was
just so ill-suited for. I was like, well, absolutely. Why not throw
yourself in at the deepest of deep ends and lets take a swim?

How does it compare to doing something like
Greenberg?
It's very different. It's not a soundtrack, it doesn't go along to
scenes. It's just transition music and it's wonderful, it's really
refreshing, it's got no commonality with much of anything I've ever
done. I love these challenges where it's not about me. I'm writing
the music for someone else's project, it doesn't have to be "my
next thing" or any of the neurosis-generating crap that would come
around making music. It doesn't sound like me anymore than
Greenberg sounded like what people perceived to be me. Nor
is it like a new direction for me. I'm going to pre-answer those
boring questions; "So, are you going to do lots of piano music?"
No! Any more than if you come to my house and I make you [dinner]
if you say "So, are you going to become a chef now?" No. I'm just
making f***ing food! Mike Nichols is a total genius, especially a
genius about time. We had a conversation two days ago about time,
like "There's so much time to do this, and everyone's hassling me,
that's insane." He just says "Well, it takes time to do good work."
That's now my auto-response to all emails.

You're also worked with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs... I did a song ["Buried Live"]. I worked with them because
we were friends and we'd never worked together. I really wanted to
do the album but I had too many other commitments and they had to
get going on it. Which is, you know, sad, when bands still don't
have time to work with your friends.

You recently debuted your Despacio project, a 50,000 watt custom-built
soundsystem with Soulwax, where you guys just DJed vinyl for
eight hours over three nights. How was it?
Amazing. It was so terrifying, because we couldn't hear it until
it was time. We didn't build the soundsystem, listen to it, and go:
"OK, let's bring it out." We had to build it on site and then
listen to it on site. Terrifying. It was quite a simple theory, but
you never know until it's real. It was a little frustrating because
legally we couldn't go over 100 decibels in more than a certain
period of time - there was this very helpful safety team with a
laptop and a testing mic and all this sort of stuff. I guess they
saw [they system] and were like: "Eurgh, people are going to die."
But it really wasn't loud, it was so not painful. It was just
really immersive and beautiful. People are trying to find homes and
places to do it again and I like the three-day week model. I like
doing everything for three days [in one venue] because it's so much
work to set up. We're trying to find other locations to do it,
hopefully in London. We did Manchester, and we're hoping to move it
in small doses at first because it's huge. I don't want to do
Manchester, then Florida, then Japan: I've got to make some
logical moves.

Did you find the records you'd known for years sounded
new because they were playing through this system?
Absolutely. Which is kind of a remarkable thing because when I
listen at home I have an old '79 McIntosh, and some D&W
speakers. I'm listening on really good s*** at home. But standing
between those monitors, they monitors were the best sounding thing
I've ever heard. It just sounded like musicians were standing
around, it was nuts. It was so good that Dave and Stephen
separately, and at different times, ran out into the audience to
listen. I don't think either one of them's stepped into an audience
area in 10 years. They're so backstage. But I saw Dave run
out during Kraftwerk's "Computer Love", and dance, then he ran back
and said: "You've got to go out there, you've got to." And
everybody was so nice. It's the first time I've been to a club
where everybody's been silent for a while.

You've been speaking for a couple of years about the
idea of opening a coffee shop, the House of Good in New York. Is
that still on the cards?
Yes, I just had a meeting with Blue Bottle. In fact I drank what
might be the roast's first birth this morning. But everything is so
slow in New York, so we might have the coffee before we have the
shop. Which is fine, because it's supposed to be half a shop and
half a design space, so there'll be House of Good stuff in other
places.

What was it that made you want to set that
up?
It's just one of those fun things that I wanna do. I weirdly find
myself in this food world now, half the time, where I'm able to
cook with some amazing chefs and, you know, get invited to things.
It's an opportunity to learn stuff all the time. One of the things
about being like a rock'n'roll singer of note is that people will
invite you to shit that you are totally unqualified to do. I'm not
qualified to go cook with Michelin Star chefs and yet I get
invited. "Oh James do you want to go do this cooking thing?" Of
course I do! But these opportunities are totally amazing. Having a
shop is just a crazy outlet for things like that.

I like the idea of musicians doing this sort of thing.
DJ Dixon has a bakery in Berlin and is on the board of FC
Mitte...
These people are used to putting a lot of work in to make
something good, and if they fall in love with a thing like tea, or
bakery, or coffee, they know that they want to excel at it. But I
like learning. I want to learn how to make a watch. I just like
watches, and this might be an opportunity. Maybe someone will let
me go to a movement factory, and show me how a watch works, and
maybe I can try and make one and then maybe we can design one, you
know? If you have an opportunity to do that, it's stupid not to
try. Unless you just want to, I don't know, hang out. I'm not that
into hanging out.

I can't really imagine you just sitting around the
house.
I actually have to force myself. I've realised recently that
sitting at home and listening to records is part of my job. I love
it, but I always feel guilty, like I'm not working. But actually
sitting at home and going through my records for Despacio, which I did for thee days, was
incredibly inspiring. My favourite record store is my house; I have
so much s*** I forgot I had. And it's all preselected by me, so
it's right up my alley. I have to do that stuff a little bit more
often. I also have to go on walks, and I have to read, and think.
That's the stuff that I forget to do. It makes you more effective,
I think.

Outside that collection, then, what pop records do you
think are good at the moment?
Not to be a snob, but I literally just don't have a radio. I have
no idea what's going on, I don't know what's on the chart and I
don't know when things are new. I discover things at my own rate.
Occasionally I'll just watch a load of Odd Future videos and just be
amazed, but that's it. I don't know what's happening.

Who would you say is your best-dressed British
man?
Best…dressed…British…man? I have literally…I can't even begin to -
I have no idea! The day that I care I think is the day that my soul
leaves my body.